OSCAR WINNERS

go to
oscar.go.com/nominations

review - The King's Speech

Bravo, bravo, bravo to this beautifully opulent and honest look at the speech problems of the Duke of York, played so brilliantly by Colin Firth. Also starring Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush (wonderful!), Guy Pearce, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon and Claire Bloom, this film appeals to all those - many, many - who have problems with stammering due to fear of public speaking.

What makes this true-to-life study of members of the royal family so fascinating, apart from Tom Hooper's loving eye as director, is how a layman affects their lives. Rush's character is a typical example of a learned man whose experience as speech coach is invaluable, yet he is looked down upon by the King's court because of his station and lack of credentials. When he proves his mettle, he becomes a trusted friend and ally.
Lovely script and brilliant work from everyone involved. Should pick up many awards, especially for Firth as Best Actor.
Go see it!

OSCAR NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

http://broadwayworld.com/article/83rd_Annual_Oscar_Nominations_Announced_Complete_List_20110125

GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS

The 68th Golden Globe® Awards aired LIVE coast-to-coast Sunday night, January 16, 2011 on NBC from 5:00-8:00 p.m. (PST) /8:00-11:00 p.m. (EST) from the Beverly Hilton Hotel with host Ricky Gervais. 

FILM

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA
BLACK SWAN
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
***WINNER The Social Network

BEST PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
***WINNER The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, BLACK SWAN
***WINNER David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
***WINNER Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
***WINNER Natalie Portman, BLACK SWAN
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp, The Tourist
***WINNER Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version
Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
***WINNER Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie, The Tourist
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
***WINNER Christian Bale, The Fighter
Michael Douglas, Wall Street 2
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Mila Kunis, BLACK SWAN
***WINNER Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

BEST SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David Seidler, The King's Speech
***WINNER Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
***WINNER Toy Story 3

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
The Concert
The Edge
I Am Love
***WINNER In A Better World

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland
A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours
***WINNER Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Hans Zimmer, Inception

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Bound to You," Burlesque
"Coming Home," Country Strong
"I See the Light," Tangled
"There's A Place For Us," Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
***WINNER "You Haven't Seen The Last of Me," Burlesque

(From the Past) Chuck and Buck (2000)

Chuck and Buck
written by Mike White
directed by Miguel Arteta
starring (pictured) Mike White & Chris Weitz

Chuck and Buck is an indie frequently screened on Logo. The last time I watched, it was more mesmerizing to me than usual. I saw beyond the expected.

Obviously, White's character Buck is an underdog, a poor half-child who has never made it out of the time capsule in which he has been living his empty life. His mother has died, he's alone with the fantasy of a continued intimate relationship with his boyhood friend Chuck, played matter-of-factly by Weitz, and he is totally bizarre, yet sympathetic and caring. Lack of maturity or not, nothing has inhibited his creativity; in fact, he writes an allegory about the boy/gay friendship, works to get it produced at an Equity-waiver theater and even stalks Chuck in an attempt to get him to come see it. Chuck, unlike Buck, has matured, is a successful record producer and engaged to be married. Buck is a painful reminder to him of what he once was, and of what he wants, or thinks he wants, to obliterate from his mind.

Both performances are very good, especially White's, and there is also terrific support from a favorite actress of mine - Lupe Ontiveros, so underrated - who plays the house manager at the small theater. She is so real and loving, and her friendship with Buck helps him eventually find his center, changing his life for the better. Paul Weitz, real-life brother of Chris Weitz, plays Sam, the actor who looks so much like Chuck to Buck that he casts him in his play. Interesting note: both Weitz boys are the sons of 50s/60s Academy Award nominated actress Susan Kohner.

I enjoy the intimacy achieved here by White's intelligent script and also by Miguel Arteta's sensitive direction.
White is not afraid to expose himself for who he is, even in his most fragile moments, and his slow transformation to manhood is surprisingly appealing.

Don't miss this little chestnut from the year 2000!

Inception (2010)

Christopher Nolan's mind-boggling Inception was riveting to a degree with some brilliant acting, especially from Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page. However, enough with the layers of dreams and jutting back and forth between them - confusion, confusion, confusion! Are dreams really like this??? Maybe those of psychotics or master minded criminals! Sure, we can't always understand what dreams mean, but... let's ease up a bit! What started as engaging and innovative turned into too much of a puzzlement ...  but, whatever one's feelings, Lee Smith should pick up an Oscar for his astounding editing.

The Fighter - 2010

Not normally a film that I would rush to see - I'm not a boxing fan - is David O. Russell's sleeper hit The Fighter about real-life half brothers Mickey Ward and Dicky Eklund. Christian Bale as crack-head Dicky and Melissa Leo as the mother Alice both give brilliant performances that should be recognized at Oscar time.
The story is about the difficult rise of welterweight fighter Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) in Lowell, Massachusetts and the dysfunctional family that controls his life, for better and for worse.
The family are hard to bear at times, particularly the big redneck sisters who are about as tough as one will find anywhere. They give loyalty a whole new meaning; at times, I was ashamed of my Irish heritage when I looked at them and detested the way they behaved. But loyalty does win out in this film, and Bale as Dicky does a 360 degree turn around which is riveting and unforgettable. Amy Adams adds terrific support as Wahlberg's girlfriend and Russell's direction is top-notch gritty. Terrific camera work which puts us right on top of the action at every moment.